Public Radio Tulsa

Descending Into The Mariana Trench: James Cameron's Odyssey

Bill Chappell — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:41:00 +0000

At nearly seven miles below the water's surface, the Mariana Trench is the deepest spot in Earth's oceans. And the site north of Guam is where director and explorer James Cameron recently fulfilled a longtime goal of reaching the bottom in a manned craft.

For the dive, Cameron designed a 24-foot submersible vehicle, the Deepsea Challenger — "this kind of long, green torpedo that moves vertically through the water," as he tells All Things Considered's Melissa Block.

Black Caucus Leader: We Disagree With Presidents, Even Obama

Frank James — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:41:00 +0000

During his time as the first black president in the White House, President Obama has occasionally been criticized by a group he once belonged to as a U.S. senator, the Congressional Black Caucus, for not doing more to ameliorate the difficult lives of many African Americans.

But Rep. Marcia Fudge, an Ohio Democrat who was elected in November to head the CBC, doesn't see why criticism should be surprising.

Health Officials Decry Texas' Snubbing Of Medicaid Billions

Wade Goodwyn — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:39:00 +0000

The state of Texas is turning down billions of federal dollars that would have paid for health care coverage for 1.5 million poor Texans.

By refusing to participate in Medicaid expansion, which is part of the Affordable Care Act, the state will leave on the table an estimated $100 billion over the next decade.

Texas' share of the cost would have been just 7 percent of the total, but for Gov.

Justice Sotomayor Takes Swing At Famed Baseball Case

Nina Totenberg — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:23:00 +0000

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor's wicked, waggish sense of humor—and knowledge of baseball—were on full display Wednesday when she presided over a reenactment of Flood v. Kuhn, the 1972 case that unsuccessfully challenged baseball's antitrust exemption.

The event, put on by the Supreme Court Historical Society, took place in the Court Chamber, and as Sotomayor took her place at the center of the bench, normally the Chief Justice's chair, she remarked puckishly, "This is the first time I've sat here. It feels pretty good."

For those who don't remember, the case was brought by St.

Oprah Winfrey's Latest Venture Is Farming In Hawaii

Peggy Lowe — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:19:00 +0000

The local food movement has a powerful new poster girl.

More glowing than American Gothic, Oprah Winfrey and her pal, Bob Greene, appear on the cover of the June issue of The Oprah Magazine, standing in what looks to be a field of kale.

"Oprah's New Farm!" reads the headline splashed across the pair's checkered shirts.

Georges Moustaki, Who Wrote Songs For Edith Piaf, Dies

Elizabeth Blair — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:15:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfdRaVPQnH8

Breaking Down Obama's New Blueprint For Fighting Terrorism

Greg Myre — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:56:00 +0000

Ever since the Sept. 11 attacks, the U.S. search for a coherent counterterrorism strategy has revolved around three basic questions:

1. How do we locate suspected terrorists?

2. Once located, how do we go after them?

For Second Time, Moore Family Loses Home To A Tornado

Bill Chappell — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:53:00 +0000

The tornado that devastated Moore, Okla., Monday destroyed some 12,000 homes, according to Oklahoma City Police. And for one family, it was the second house they've lost to a tornado in the past 14 years.

Transcript: Obama Addresses Counterterrorism, Drones

editor — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:48:42 +0000

President Obama's remarks at the National Defense University on Thursday, as prepared for delivery:

It's an honor to return to the National Defense University. Here, at Fort McNair, Americans have served in uniform since 1791– standing guard in the early days of the Republic, and contemplating the future of warfare here in the 21st century.

For over two centuries, the United States has been bound together by founding documents that defined who we are as Americans, and served as our compass through every type of change. Matters of war and peace are no different.

This 9-Year-Old Girl Told McDonald's CEO: Stop Tricking Kids

Maria Godoy — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:47:00 +0000

It's not every day that a 9-year-old girl chastises the CEO of one of the world's biggest fast-food chains.

Yet that's exactly what young Hannah Robertson did Thursday morning at McDonald's annual shareholders meeting in Chicago. When the meeting opened up to questions, Hannah was first up at the mic with a pointed criticism.

"It would be nice if you stopped trying to trick kids into wanting to eat your food all the time," she told McDonald's CEO Don Thompson.

Ouch.

Hannah, a native of Kelowna, British Columbia, didn't get to Chicago on her own, of course.